I'm Swedish and, well, I don't really feel at home in Sweden. I'm thinking about moving to NH through the Green Card Lottery. But I'm not sure so I'd really like to know if anybody else has done this and how it worked out for them.

Why do I want to move? I'm a libertarian, so I like what I'm reading about the politics/laws in NH. Guns are a big interest of mine and Swedish gun laws are REALLY restrictive. American cars is another interest. Homeschooling is illegal in Sweden, though I'm not sure that's something I'd like to do the fact that it's illegal bugs me. Also, Sweden has high taxes (tax freedom day is in august).

I work as "head of development" (programming/system architect/project coordinator/project leader) at a company with approx. 180 employees. A similar job or starting my own company would interest me. My wife works in the hotel-business. We have two sons, one and three years old.

So if you or somebody you know have migrated from Sweden/Europe, and is interested in answering a few questions I have about how they did, what worked and what didn't etc. I'd love to get in touch with them.

TL;DR: thinking about moving from Sweden to NH and have some questions, looking for people who have done this.

I'm Swedish and, well, I don't really feel at home in Sweden. I'm thinking about moving to NH through the Green Card Lottery. But I'm not sure so I'd really like to know if anybody else has done this and how it worked out for them.

I'm from the UK but I have met people from Israel, France and SA who have made the move.

The chances of winning the lottery are tiny (1.82% for Sweden) so you might want to consider another approach.

I work as "head of development" (programming/system architect/project coordinator/project leader) at a company with approx. 180 employees. A similar job or starting my own company would interest me. My wife works in the hotel-business. We have two sons, one and three years old.

The south of the state, around Nashua, is part of the silicon valley of the east. Its extremely easy to find work (I am in tech too, pretty much the same role, and so are most of the locals) and this might give you a much better visa option. If you have a degree or 12 years of experience then you qualify for a H1B and given how senior you are you will go to top of the pile for any employer. Here are some jobs to look at.

This year's visa cap has already been reached (in June) and opens again April 1st next year. You should start applying now if you would like to take this option, they will interview you and if you are accepted they will apply on your behalf April next year for a start on October 1st. You can bring your wife and children over on a H4 which takes about 2 weeks to process (if you use the premium option).

There are a couple of downsides to this option;

Your wife will not be allowed to work on the H4

H1b is not a green card, your employer will have to apply for labor certification on your behalf which takes about 5 years to convert this from a temporary visa to a green card. Once its converted to a green card you can convert your wife and children to permanent residents. 5 years after that you can become citizens

You will have to work for the same employer for the duration so I would suggest choosing a consultancy firm and validating with them that they will pursue labor certification for you

You can't get arrested, at all. This means no open carrying and no public protests.

Day to day there will be very little difference, you can still buy a house and do anything else regular Americans can do (other then vote) but just have to be careful with your interactions with the state until you are a citizen.

The other visa option is the EB-5. If you own a home in Sweden, or are wealthy, this is a good option. If you invest $500k+ then they hand you a green card immediately and this process takes between a few days and a few weeks. http://www.newhampshireregionalcenter.com/ is one option you can use if you pursue this option.

In terms of finances/taxes my tax burden in the US is about 1/3rd of what it was in London and I get paid about the same, expect to be earning $100k+ and be paying around 11% tax on that.

Kabo, there are some folks here from Europe and other far away places. It sounds like you are in a computer field. The Boston area has lots of computer related jobs, as does southern NH. There is a fair amount of tourism in the region and Boston does have major upscale hotel chains. Boston is about an hour commute from Southern NH. What else do you like to do?